“It’s Great to Give Back!”

Ginger is a single mother with four children at home — including one with special needs — and life for her family recently went from difficult to worse.

“I was in a really abusive relationship, and I had to get away,” she said. “I needed a new start and now I’m living in a shelter with my kids.”

Eager to get back on her feet, Ginger turned to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance for help. In years past, she had received food boxes to help keep her children fed, but this time she came for a different kind of help. Ginger enrolled in our Community Kitchen program, which trains students in food service and helps them find jobs — all while providing meals to hungry people.

“It’s great to give back to the community while I’m in the program,” Ginger said. “I help to make hundreds of meals every day, and one of those meals actually ends up going to my daughter in an after-school feeding program.”

Ginger can’t say enough about St. Mary’s Food Bank.

“They will help you in so many ways,” she said. “They give you food to feed your family. There are a lot of people out there who can’t afford to do that when money runs short, but St. Mary’s Food Bank is always there.

“We would be in a really rough situation without them. I am so thankful for St. Mary’s Food Bank!”